Cupping is actually an ancient form of Chinese Medicine. For many athletes, especially the veterans, they turned to this form of massage therapy to restore blood flow to their muscles and reduce inflammation. What you saw on TV was what I personally call, “modern day cupping.” Cupping as I know it, and have seen it done, is done with glass cups and fire not plastic cups with a syringe pump. They both work and I’m sure you wouldn’t want just anyone setting a flame next to the world’s greatest swimmer or any other Olympians.

You don’t have to be an Olympian or even an athlete to enjoy the benefits of the ancient medicinal practice.

Robert Turner, PT at Spine Therapy Center at Hospital for Special Surgery, the first National Medical Center of the United States Olympic Committee’s National Medical Network and medical staff for USA Basketball, USA Swimming, USA Volleyball and USA Rowing, answer these common questions about Cupping:

Description and Origin

Cupping is an ancient Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) technique developed approximately 3,500 years ago. Traditionally it was used to treat boils and insect/snake bites by removing pus or venom from a wound and moving the blood and Qi (energy that circulates in the body) to treat a variety of ailments. It is commonly used in the more rural areas of China where access to traditional medicine is not as readily available and is often combined with acupuncture to treat a variety of health conditions. Another use for cupping is to treat pain from muscular strains or arthritis. The vacuum created by cupping draws the inflamed tissue into the cup and as it does, pulls stagnated blood up toward the surface while drawing fresh blood into the injured area. This will remove metabolic waste products that can cause pain and results in the familiar purple circular marks. Relief of pain with improved motion can be experienced immediately after treatment. While this is not unpleasant or painful, it will leave those marks for 1-2 weeks.

Vacuum cupping (Getty Images)

Different Types of Cupping

Today, the technique is still very much unchanged over the years although today there are two main forms of cupping. In either case, a lubricant is placed on the skin.

Fire cupping is where glass bulbs of various sizes are heated internally with a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol and when lit, passed into the cup for a few seconds and quickly placed on the skin. The vacuum created by the inside of the cup cooling pulls the skin and tissues into the cup. An alternative is to use a suction cup where a plunger is applied to the end of the cup that has a one way valve on the end. As the plunger is pumped, vacuum is created and pulls the tissues into the cup. Running Cupping is where the cups are now moved over the skin to treat a larger area and may leave longer purple tracks along the treated area.

Differences between cupping techniques

Fire cups are used in a more traditional Chinese Medicine practice or by acupuncturists as the heat created from the cupping is soothing to the patient while with suction cupping, there is no heat generated. For some clinics, fire may not be used for liability purposes and the suction cups are preferred. Those trained in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine believe that Fire Cupping is most effective as it is the way the treatment was intended to be delivered.

Prevalence

As drug-free alternatives are sought to treat illness and injury, cupping has gained in popularity. Today in the U.S. it may be found a

Fire cupping (Getty Images)

t acupuncture or massage therapy clinics. Many people are nervous to try it, either because they are unfamiliar with the treatment or do not want the purple marks to be seen.

(Source: Robert Turner, PT and manager of Spine Therapy Center at Hospital for Special Surgery)